Introducing Nug Hunt, Denver's First Marijuana Scavenger Hunt

Hemp clothing/lifestyle-product group Hemp House is throwing the city's first Nug Hunt -- a scavenger hunt planned for mid-January, when the company will give away coupons for 24 penny-priced eighths of herb from Evergreen Apothecary and Colorado Harvest Company.

Hemp House founder Alex Person says the idea came from media exposure that his company received when it began giving out penny-eighth coupons to customers who bought hemp clothing or products. That was such a successful promotion, he explains, that Hemp House decided to take it one step further with a scavenger hunt across metro Denver.

Clues will be stashed at five or more locations and will lead participants from one site to the next. All clues will eventually combine to form a map to a final stop somewhere in town that will feature live music, food and more prizes. Person says he hopes that 300 to 500 people will show up for the event, and he promises door prizes like joints or clothing from Hemp House for everyone who attends. The first 24 to actually finish the race will receive a gift card for a one-cent eighth of herb from Evergreen Apothecary or Colorado Harvest Company, for a total of three ounces.

So far, that's about all the information available. Adults 21 and up (IDs will be checked at the start of the event) can sign up for the Nug Hunt at hemphouseclothing.com, though they'll have to wait for more information to be e-mailed to them closer to the day of the event. Person acknowledges that Denver's intolerance for pot clubs, pot parties and the like could be a challenge, but he says his event shouldn't ruffle any feathers, since Hemp House isn't giving out actual pot. Nor is anyone being asked to publicly light up.

This isn't the first marijuana scavenger hunt in a major city. Back in September, a group of Canadians dubbed the Marijuana Information Bureau held a similar event to raise awareness for medical cannabis clubs in Toronto. They handed out $25,000 worth of vouchers redeemable for things like bongs, pipes, papers and edibles. More notably, they handed out actual weed -- though you had to be a medical patient to get the buds. Funding came from the Toronto Friends of Marijuana, a compassion club in Vancouver.